Juliette Lewis: Juliette Lewis is
recognized as one of Hollywood's most talented and versatile actors of her
generation. She first stunned mass audiences and critics alike with her
Oscar-nominated performance as 'Danielle Bowden' in Cape Fear (1991). To date,
she has worked with some of the most revered directors in the industry: Martin
Scorsese, Woody Allen, Lasse Hallström, Oliver Stone, and Garry Marshall. Most
recently, she received an Emmy nomination for her performance in My Louisiana
Sky (2001) (TV). Whether lending dramatic authenticity or a natural comedic
flair, Lewis graces her roles with remarkable range and an original and
captivating style.
Lewis recently co-starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the thriller Enough
(2002/I) directed by Michael Apted. Lewis played the best friend of an abused
woman who must reclaim her life from her dangerous husband. The part appealed to
her because she got to play a "sweet, vibrant, regular gal," she offers. The
poignant drama Hysterical Blindness (2002) (TV) debuted on August 25, 2002, on
HBO, in which Lewis stared with Uma Thurman and Gena Rowlands. Set in the 1980s,
the story follows two single, working-class New Jersey women on a bittersweet
quest for love and meaning. Based on the play by Laura Cahill, the film is
directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair and the executive producer is Thurman.
Hysterical Blindness (2002) (TV) was the centerpiece premiere at the 2002
Sundance Film Festival. "I've never seen this female perspective told before
with such a true voice," says Lewis, who plays a single mother in Hysterical
Blindness (2002) (TV). "It's raw, heartbreakingly honest and real."
Lewis went blond for her role in the DreamWorks comedy Old School (2003),
co-starring opposite Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Will Ferrell in this story
of disenchanted men who try to recapture their college days by starting a
fraternity. "The script was a laugh-out-loud page-turner," says Lewis, who plays
Wilson's seemingly innocent girlfriend. "If I was going to be in a rip-roaring
boy's comedy, I knew I didn't want to play straight man. I love doing comedy and
doing characters, and I made this one a pampered California girl. My scenes with
Luke Wilson are very situational--and that's where the comedy lies. I'm
naturally kind of ridiculous. I don't take myself or others too seriously." Old
School (2003)) was released in 2003.
Lewis is currently filming the feature Blueberry (2004), based on the French
comic book adventures of Western hero Mike Blueberry. She stars alongside
Michael Madsen and French film star Vincent Cassel in this project directed by
Jan Kounen. For her role as a rancher's daughter, Lewis is on horseback for much
of the film. "I used to ride years ago, but I can only hope the fearlessness I
had when I was 11 still lives," she says. The production is shooting on location
in Mexico, Spain, France, and Britain.
Lewis recently received an Emmy nomination for her performance in Showtime's My
Louisiana Sky (2001) (TV), a coming-of-age drama set in rural Louisiana in the
early 1950s. Lewis plays Dorie Kay, an urbanized working woman who tries to help
her 12-year-old niece come to terms with the girl's developmentally challenged
parents. Based on the Kimberly Willis Holt novel, the acclaimed film was
directed by Adam Arkin, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing, and produced
by Anthony Edwards.
One of Lewis' most challenging roles to date was Carla Tate, a mentally
challenged woman on a journey of independence and self discovery in Garry
Marshall's The Other Sister (1999). "I wanted to capture her honesty so people
could relate to her," says Lewis, who starred with her longtime friend Giovanni
Ribisi, as well as Diane Keaton and Tom Skerritt. "I was playing a character who
was full of life and determination, and it really had an effect on me. I
connected very deeply to Carla and her feelings."
Other recent projects include the colorful European comedy release of Room to
Rent (2000), in which Lewis sings and dances as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator;
the crime thriller The Way of the Gun (2000), starring Benicio Del Toro and Ryan
Phillippe; and Picture Claire (2001), a mockumentary about the making of a
big-budget film, with Gina Gershon.
Lewis was born in Hollywood to Glenis Batley, a graphic designer, and actor
Geoffrey Lewis, a regular in Clint Eastwood's films and frontman of the musical
group Celestial Navigations. By the age of 6, she knew she wanted to be a
performer and found inspiration in musicals like Fame (1980) and Grease (1978).
At 12, Lewis landed her first leading role in the Showtime miniseries Home Fires
(1987) (TV). After appearing in the sitcoms "The Wonder Years" (1988) and "I
Married Dora" (1987), she went on to star with Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's
Christmas Vacation (1989) and with Jennifer Jason Leigh in the drama Crooked
Hearts (1991). At 16, Lewis starred in the critically acclaimed telefilm Too
Young to Die? (1990) (TV), based on the true story of Amanda Sue Bradley, a
sexually abused runaway who was the first minor to receive the death sentence.
Lewis' performance caught the attention of Martin Scorsese, who cast her in the
thriller Cape Fear (1991). Her powerful scenes with Robert De Niro captured the
quiet complexities of adolescence and earned her an Oscar nomination and Golden
Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her auditorium scene with De Niro
goes down in movie-making history as one of cinema's classic scenes. Lewis next
worked with Woody Allen in Husbands and Wives (1992), playing a self-assured
college coed who has a penchant for older men, particularly her married
professor. She then went on to star in the bittersweet love story That Night
(1992), with C. Thomas Howell. In 1993, Lewis starred as Adele Corners, a
dysfunctional innocent on a cross-country journey with her psycho-killer
boyfriend (Brad Pitt) in Kalifornia (1993). She also played a waitress from
Queens opposite Gary Oldman in Romeo Is Bleeding (1993) and a wise and worldly
young drifter in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) with Johnny Depp and
Leonardo DiCaprio. In 1994, Lewis starred alongside Woody Harrelson in Natural
Born Killers (1994), Oliver Stone's controversial media satire about two mass
murderers who become legendary folk heroes. Lewis's other credits include the
Nora Ephron comedy Mixed Nuts (1994) with Steve Martin and Adam Sandler; the
sci-fi action film Strange Days (1995) with Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett;
and Quentin Tarantino's vampire tale From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) with George
Clooney. In 1996, Lewis appeared as Shirley MacLaine's granddaughter in The
Evening Star (1996). She went on to star in the independent film Some Girl
(1998), with Michael Rapaport and Giovanni Ribisi, and the thriller The 4th
Floor (1999) with William Hurt. Lewis has been married since 1999 to
professional skateboarder Stephen Berra but has filed for divorce.
Spouse
Stephen Berra (9 September 1999 - 2005) (divorced)
Trivia
Sister of actors Lightfield Lewis and Dierdre Lewis
Legally emancipated from her parents at age 14.
Dropped out of high school just three weeks after starting.
Arrested for being underage in an underground dance club at age 16. The
arresting officer, who recognized her dad when he picked her up at the station,
gave Juliette her mug shot (the charges were dropped), which now hangs,
poster-size, in her home (this picture can be seen at Fan Page)
Drove without driver's license until she was 21. She owned a car bought under a
friend's name and had been driving illegally since age 15. Eventually got a
license after she got caught not stopping at a stop sign.
Father almost named her Snow Lake.
Daughter of Geoffrey Lewis.
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#75).
[1995]
Played a suicidal mental patient in the music video for the Melissa Etheridge
song "Come to my Window." Lewis' erratic behavior frightened the director to the
point where he yelled "Cut!" several unnecessary times for fear that Lewis had
truly suffered a mental/emotional breakdown.
Her song from Natural Born Killers (1994) was used in another song, "Bad
Brother" by The Infidels.
Auditioned for the role played by Winona Ryder in Beetle Juice (1988).
Fronts a rock band called "Juliette and the Licks" which is touring on Van's
Warped Tour in 2004.
Wears a size 7 1/2 shoe.
Posed for a portrait in US Magazine, by Peggy Sirota, which featured nothing but
an extreme close-up of the soles of her bare feet.
Although she is now divorced, she remains good friends with her ex-husband,
Stephen Berra.
She was introduced to her future husband Stephen Berra by her younger sister
Brandy.
Ranked #7 on Tropopkin's Top 25 Most Intriguing People [Issue #100]
Sister-in-law of Ethan Suplee.

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